Quick Answer
The answer is to use the Format menu and select Capitalize Each Word in Power Query. This transformation applies proper casing by converting the first letter of every word to uppercase while forcing all remaining characters to lowercase, which directly resolves inconsistent capitalization like 'john smith' becoming 'John Smith' and 'JANE DOE' becoming 'Jane Doe'. On the Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst PL-300 exam, this task tests your ability to clean text data using Power Query’s built-in transformations, a common scenario in the data preparation section. A frequent trap is confusing this with UPPER or LOWER functions, which change the entire string rather than just the first letter of each word. To remember, think of the mnemonic "Cap Each Word for Proper Case"—it’s the only option that handles multi-word names correctly without altering the rest of the text structure.
This PL-300 practice question tests your understanding of prepare the data. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
You are cleaning data in Power Query. A column contains customer names with inconsistent capitalization (e.g., 'john smith', 'JANE DOE'). You need to standardize the names to proper case (first letter uppercase, rest lowercase). Which transformation should you use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Use 'Format' > 'Trim'.
Why wrong: Trim only removes extra spaces, not change case.
Use 'Format' > 'Capitalize Each Word'.
This converts the first letter of each word to uppercase and the rest to lowercase.
Use 'Format' > 'Lowercase'.
Why wrong: This would make all letters lowercase, not proper case.
Use 'Format' > 'Uppercase'.
Why wrong: This would make all letters uppercase, not proper case.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Use 'Format' > 'Capitalize Each Word'.
The 'Capitalize Each Word' transformation in Power Query converts the first letter of each word to uppercase and the rest to lowercase, which is exactly what proper case requires. This is the correct choice because it directly addresses the need to standardize inconsistent casing (e.g., 'john smith' becomes 'John Smith', 'JANE DOE' becomes 'Jane Doe').
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Use 'Format' > 'Trim'.
Why it's wrong here
Trim only removes extra spaces, not change case.
Use 'Format' > 'Capitalize Each Word'.
Why this is correct
This converts the first letter of each word to uppercase and the rest to lowercase.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Use 'Format' > 'Lowercase'.
Why it's wrong here
This would make all letters lowercase, not proper case.
Use 'Format' > 'Uppercase'.
Why it's wrong here
This would make all letters uppercase, not proper case.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'Capitalize Each Word' with 'Uppercase' or 'Lowercase', thinking any casing transformation will suffice, but only 'Capitalize Each Word' produces the specific proper case format required.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, Power Query's 'Capitalize Each Word' uses a locale-aware algorithm that respects word boundaries (spaces, hyphens, etc.) and capitalizes the first character of each word while lowercasing the rest. In real-world scenarios, this transformation is essential for cleaning name fields in customer databases, but note that it may not handle special cases like 'McDonald' or 'O'Brien' correctly, requiring additional steps for such edge cases.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
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FAQ
Prepare the data — This question tests Prepare the data — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Use 'Format' > 'Capitalize Each Word'. — The 'Capitalize Each Word' transformation in Power Query converts the first letter of each word to uppercase and the rest to lowercase, which is exactly what proper case requires. This is the correct choice because it directly addresses the need to standardize inconsistent casing (e.g., 'john smith' becomes 'John Smith', 'JANE DOE' becomes 'Jane Doe').
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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